Sights and Sounds

What's on the Floor

4K Resolution Recording Devices

Blu-ray and its 1080p videos have scarcely established itself as the premier high definition content format, but already another challenger has already appeared on the horizon - albeit just in terms of a video recording resolution at the moment. 4K is upping the ante and offering resolutions that are unmatched. BroadcastAsia 2012 reflected this trend with different products allowing users to create their own 4K content.

The chief movers and shakers were Sony and Canon. Both displayed 4K cameras that you can procure to shoot in higher resolutions. Panasonic also displayed a mock-up of a future 4K Varicam which is set to compete with Canon’s EOD-1D C and Sony’s NEX-FS700. Also on site was the Black Magic Cinema Camera which we got our hands on during the BroadcastAsia 2012 preview.

It is more a question of when, not if, 4K becomes the norm. Sony seems to think the time will be soon as evidenced by the fact that their new, top-of-the-line Blu-ray player the S790 comes with 4K playback capabilities.

For more details of the 4K momentum and a detailed breakdown of the mentioned products and their video handling capabilities, do check out Andy Sim's (our Senior Tech Writer for AV matters) dedicated coverage on this subject here.

High-end Monitors for the Color Conscious

The consumer offerings for displays have been getting progressively better and cheaper. But they still do not compete with the professional monitors, some of which were showcased at BroadcastAsia 2012. Dolby in particular was displaying a Professional Reference Monitor which was being touted for its super dark detail and color accuracy. The device featured two LCD panels and a full array LED backlighting system with local dimming. We have to admit the blacks rendered were to die for!

At the same time, Sony had a range of new OLED Color Reference Monitors which have to be applauded for the fidelity of their performance.

Social Stratosphere

We live in a world of immediacy. Everything has to be instant. So much so that gone are the days when you could wait to edit your works in proper. To this end, a new bunch of devices showcased were capable of transmitting videos shot directly over 3G and 4G networks.

Nestled in a corner, we also found a new social service that was launched on the day itself. Titled Wikiaboutme, you can push content out over all your social networks from this one particular service.